Labour commits to independent Foreign Affairs and Trade

“Labour is committed to New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs and Trade policy being independent and proactive, Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Shearer says.

“We are a small but respected country. Our voice and actions count in international affairs. Labour will take a principled stance on world events.

“Whether it’s Gaza, Syria, Iraq or Ukraine, standing up for international standards has been – and will continue to be – a hallmark of the next Labour Government.

“We are committed to ensuring human rights and international law are observed. That’s what Kiwis expect and it is part of our reputation as a fair-minded country.

“Labour acknowledges New Zealand’s unique skills from many challenging deployments and will build a specialist capacity drawn from our diplomatic, military and aid agencies to contribute to peace building. We will strengthen our relationships with our traditional partners, while forging new links across the world.

“We will support multilateral institutions such as the UN and support the campaign to win a seat on the Security Council. But we will also push for reform to make the UN more effective, such as removing the veto power from permanent members of the Security Council, said David Shearer.

“Labour Governments have a proud history of breaking down trade barriers for our exporters, most notably signing the China free trade agreement,” said Trade spokesperson, Phil Goff.

“Labour will focus on playing to our strengths to enable our businesses develop high value, niche markets in the world. Our priority will be for all agreements to be comprehensive and high quality and ensure the public and stakeholders are kept informed on the progress of negotiations.”

“Our history shows that New Zealand does best with an active and independent government on the international stage. Labour will play that role,” says Phil Goff.